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What Is a Hemostat?

A hemostat has two definitions---it is both a chemical that controls bleeding and a surgical instrument used to control bleeding. This article will describe the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument---also called an arterial forceps, hemostatic clamp, hemostatic forceps, haemostat or péan---is used in almost every surgery. Hemostats resemble scissors in that both are pivoting instruments with finger rings on two parts that pivot around a central joint. Unlike scissors, hemostats' "blades" or tips are flat on their inner surface. The tips may be straight or curved. The grasping surface of the tips may be either smooth or serrated, to facilitate grip on slippery surfaces.

  1. How a Hemostat Works

    • Hemostats have a built-in ratcheting locking mechanism that allows them stay clamped shut. The mechanism is usually made of a strip of interlocking teeth on both handles. When brought together, the strips of teeth mesh and the hemostat stays shut, exerting about 8 lbs. of pressure. When the user is ready to release the hemostat, she presses the handles slightly together, then slightly side-to-side, pulling the teeth apart.

    History

    • According to John Kirkup, MD, FRCS, in "The Evolution of Surgical Instruments: An Illustrated History from Ancient Times to the Twentieth Century," the earliest depiction of a pivoting surgical instrument dates back to a 1500 B.C. Egyptian tomb painting. Pivoting instruments were also found in the ruins of Pompeii. However, much surgical knowledge was lost after the Fall of Rome, and the pivoting surgical clamp wasn't reinvented until a 15th century French barber-surgeon named Ambroise Paré created a locking pivoting clamp called the Bec de Corbin, or crow's beak. Kirkup credits invention of the modern hemostat to several people, foremost among them Jules-Émile Péan, a 19th century French surgeon.

    Types

    • Hemostats are now available in many shapes and sizes. Their handles may be as little as 3 inches long or as long as 24 inches. The handles are generally at least four times longer than the tips. The instruments usually named for their designer. These are some of the most common types: a Carmalt is sturdy, with longitudinally serrated tips; a Crile has long blades and transverse serrations; a Halsted is serrated on the full length of the tips; a Kelly is medium-size with transverse serrations; a Kocher has short handles and transverse serrations; a Mosquito is similar to Kelly, but more delicate.

    Surgical Uses

    • The tips of hemostats are used to compress tissue. Their name means "stop blood," and they are oftentimes used to clamp shut blood vessels. However, they may be used to pull tissues or sutures into position and to tie sutures. Unlike some kinds of forceps, they are not used to hold a needle during suturing---needles can swivel and come loose inside the jaws.

    Nonsurgical Uses

    • Hemostats, like many other surgical instruments, may be used as household or craft tools. They are useful for grasping items that are small, slippery or hot, or items that have to be pushed into or pulled through narrow spaces. Alicia Paulson, author of "Stitched in Time," describes using hemostats to stuff cloth dolls.

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